Former Pakistan Test coach Gillespie opens up about decision to step down

Former Australian cricketer Jason Gillespie, in an interview with Australian media, shed light on his decision to step down as Pakistan’s red-ball head coach, attributing it to concerns about his role.

Gillespie disclosed that a lack of clarity over High-Performance Coach Tim Nielsen’s position played a crucial role in his resignation.

“I was completely unaware of the decision not to retain Tim Nielsen,” Gillespie stated. “This situation, along with past incidents, made me question whether I was truly needed. Not informing the head coach about such a major decision compelled me to think this way.”

He expressed concerns about the diminishing purpose of his role in the country’s cricket setup.

“The purpose of my coaching stint in Pakistan was fading away,” he explained.

“My role was reduced to giving catching practice to players on match mornings,” he added.

The former coach emphasised the importance of communication in his role as the head-coach. 

“It is essential for a head coach to maintain full communication with selectors and everyone else,” he said.

“For planning purposes, I need to be informed about the squad at least a day in advance. Without these basic requirements, working becomes very difficult.”

The 49-year-old also highlighted how the decision-making process became even more challenging after the Nielsen situation.

“I found out about the new selection committee via a text message in the group chat after the first match against England,” he revealed. “No one discussed the selection committee issue with me.”

One of the contentious decisions by the new selection committee was to drop star batter Babar Azam from the second match of the recent Test series against Englad — a move Gillespie felt symbolised the lack of coordination.

“The decision to drop Babar Azam was made by the new selection committee,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) declined to renew the contract of red-ball assistant coach Nielsen.

Nielsen, appointed as the “high-performance red-ball coach” in August 2024, saw his contract expire following Pakistan’s recent tour of Australia.

Despite expressing his commitment to the upcoming longer-format series against South Africa and the West Indies, Nielsen revealed that the PCB had informed him that his services were no longer required.

Jason Gillespie was appointed as the red-ball head coach of the Pakistan team on April 28, 2024.

His first assignment was a two-match home Test series against Bangladesh, in which the Pakistan team suffered a 2-0 whitewash defeat.

His second assignment was a three-match home Test series against England, which Pakistan won 2-1.

After his resignation, Aqib Javed was named interim head coach ahead of the two-match Test series against South Africa, scheduled from December 20, 2024, to January 7, 2025, in Centurion and Cape Town.